Chapter 79 I'm Not Lacking in Wealth
“No, no.” Yu Zhiyi wanted to set the record straight for the people of the Xuanmen: “We are not ascetics. As human beings, we have desires. It’s just that most people who cultivate the Tao have three deficiencies and five shortcomings. Some people are destined to have no fortune, so they no longer struggle in this area. Therefore, what everyone sees is their… well, their poor side.”
"As for me, I have no shortage of wealth."
Du Ziheng's eyes flickered, and he turned his head to look. He saw that the woman's slightly raised smiling face was full of confidence and pride.
They're quite cute.
Realizing what he was thinking, he awkwardly looked away.
Ignoring the fleeting gaze beside her, Yu Zhiyi earnestly quoted her price: "My usual price in the private treasury is one tael of silver per divination. Of course, if anyone is willing to pay more, I won't refuse. You two can give whatever you think is appropriate."
Is it too much to ask her to charge more money to compensate for the effort and anxiety she has endured by getting involved in such a royal secret that could cost her her life at any moment?
The emperor understood the subtext and chuckled, "Money-grubber!"
"Alright, I understand. Guajin will definitely not disappoint you."
"Whether you are satisfied with the results I calculate or not?"
Emperor: "...Yes, whether I am satisfied or not, I will make sure you are satisfied."
Having received the promise, Yu Zhiyi wasted no more time and immediately straightened her expression.
"The misunderstanding between His Majesty and Prince Shun stems from one person: the late Princess Shun."
Neither the emperor nor Prince Shun reacted.
This matter was hardly a secret in the capital; anyone with connections in the aristocratic circles knew the inside story.
Yu Zhiyi continued: "Your Majesty and Prince Shun have known each other since childhood and are as close as brothers. You both once naively thought that you would always be unique and irreplaceable in each other's hearts. Your Majesty felt that Prince Shun would never betray him, while Prince Shun felt that after Your Majesty ascended the throne, he would never worry like other imperial attendants throughout history who were afraid of serving a tiger."
"When your trust in each other reached its peak, you met a woman who was beautiful, dignified, well-educated, and understanding... She was the future Princess Shun."
"But at the time, she was just an ordinary merchant's daughter, and her acquaintance with the two of you was a coincidence."
"Both His Majesty and Prince Shun are very interested in this woman, but at first neither of you knew that the other was also interested in her, which created the awkward situation of the two of you pursuing the same woman at the same time."
"The woman was torn between the two of you, and in the end, in order to prevent you brothers from killing each other, she decided to leave Shengjing."
"After you received the news, you both went after them at the same time, only to find out that the other person also liked their sweetheart."
"At that time, the late emperor passed away, and His Majesty had no choice but to miss the opportunity. In order not to delay his beloved, he could only watch Prince Shun and Princess Shun get married."
"After the Prince of Shun's wedding, he felt ashamed before His Majesty and requested to go out to quell the rebellion."
"And so, Prince Shun and Princess Shun left the capital together. If we don't count the dangers and hardships of the war, they lived like a pair of celestial lovers for two years."
"Until the third year, Prince Shun's birth mother fell seriously ill. Upon receiving the news, Prince Shun was filled with anxiety and grief. However, the war was still unresolved, and you could not leave behind a mess. So you could only let Princess Shun return to the capital first, and then go back to take care of her mother after you had quelled the war."
"Not long after Princess Shun returned to the capital, you received the news that she had died in the palace."
"You channeled your grief and anger into action, accelerating the pace of quelling the rebellion. However, your radical actions led you into an enemy ambush, where you lost both legs in the chaos of war. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived in time, saving your life."
"Despite the great victory, you felt no joy whatsoever. Upon returning to the capital, you stormed into the palace, wanting to question His Majesty about why he had killed your wife. You even couldn't help but indulge in conspiracy theories, thinking that His Majesty not only wanted to force your wife to her death but also wanted to defile her. Perhaps your wife chose to commit suicide because she did not want to be humiliated."
"For this reason, you resent His Majesty. No matter how His Majesty explains that your wife's death has nothing to do with him, you refuse to believe it and think that he is a coward who dares to do something but doesn't dare to admit it."
"Not long after, His Majesty revoked half of your military power, which made you even more furious. You felt that His Majesty not only coveted your wife, but also questioned your character and your loyalty to the Great Sheng Empire and to him, and that he had betrayed your friendship."
"From then on, you began to claim illness and stay away from home. No matter how people outside speculated or fabricated outrageous rumors, you did not respond, refused all banquets, and even stopped attending court."
Prince Shun impatiently interrupted her: "Is your reputation as a fortune teller just empty talk? Can you say something useful?"
What Yu Zhiyi said were things that could be found out with a little investigation.
Yu Zhiyi wasn't angry: "Fine, then I'll tell you what none of you know."
"Your wife, that lady from a merchant family, is not actually from the Great Sheng Empire, but from the An Kingdom, which was destroyed decades ago."
The Emperor and Prince Shun were both shocked: "What!?"
Prince Shun exclaimed in astonishment, "This is impossible!"
He met his wife's family when he got married; they were clearly native to the Great Sheng Empire.
Moreover, doesn't Yu Zhiyi's statement imply that his wife is a spy?
How could his gentle and considerate wife, who loved his wife so much, possibly be a spy?
Yu Zhiyi said calmly, "This is the result I deduced from your two birth dates and times. Her appearance was to cause you brothers to turn against each other. However, if you want to know the specifics, you need her own birth date and time."
Prince Shun was eager to prove that his wife was not a spy, so this time he readily gave it to her.
Yu Zhiyi glanced at it and shook her head: "This is not her birth date."
"What do you mean?" Prince Shun frowned, increasingly convinced that Yu Zhiyi was a fraud.
Yu Zhiyi said with absolute certainty: "Based on the results of your two birth charts, Prince Shun's wife passed away several years ago. However, the owner of this birth chart is still alive."
“Prince Shun is thirty-three years old this year. Even if there is an age difference between you and Princess Shun, it will not be more than six years, and she will be at least twenty-six or twenty-seven this year. But the owner of this birth chart is already forty years old this year.”
"Most importantly, he's a man."
Yu Zhiyi shrugged: "If you don't believe me, you can find any enlightened monk or Taoist priest and have them look at this birth chart. This is a simple matter, and I'm sure it won't be difficult for them."
The emperor and Prince Shun exchanged a glance, and the emperor said, "Send someone over."
Prince Shun pondered for a moment, then summoned his trusted confidant and instructed him to take his princess's birth date and time to several Taoist priests and monks for calculation.
Before long, the trusted aide returned, and the result was the same as that given by Yu Zhiyi.
Prince Shun: "!!!"
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